The present invention of the hygienically cleaning of the toilet bowl provides for the brush and the formulated cleaner on the same base. The cleaner formulation is detergent paste with germicidal properties. Uniqueness of this set-up is to utilize the ability of the brush by a twist to pick up cleaner granules on bristles for start of the cleaning operation. The brush and cleaner combination provides effective, economical and convenient method of cleaning and maintaining sanitary condition of the toilet bowl.
Cleaning the toilet bowl is an unpleasant chore that must, however be done regularly to achieve acceptable sanitary state of the toilet bowl. If not cleaned regularly, hard scale can form from the water-borne minerals can stain the interior of the bowl. Bodily waste can also build up and get stuck on the pitted surface of the bowl and down the goose neck drain. Toilet bowl manufacture has not changed over recent decades. The bowl interior is glazed to get a smooth vitreous surface, however, polishing has not kept with the surface finish technology. Presently available toilet bowl cleaners are composed of harsher and corrosive chemicals that have the potential of pitting the bowl surface and speed up the problem of ugly deposits, a source of infectious bacteria and viruses in the bowl.
Over time, the nature of toilet bowl cleaning has swung from manual to automatic and from disposable swabs to strong chemical fluids. Manual cleaning lends to cleaning with toilet brush to loosen the waste off the bowl surface then flushing the toilet to rinse away the waste. In the process the brush gets contaminated. Simply rinsing the brush does not disinfect it. Automatic cleaners are sold as in-tank or in-bowl and under the rim apparatuses that channel cleaners. It is believed that automatic chemical, acidic or alkaline bowl cleaners, however strong they may be, lacks total effectiveness due to lack of scrubbing; especially older bowls that are stripped of smooth interior surface. In-tank cleaners have also been found to damage tank internals and lack control on cleaner strength and life cycle. Experience has shown that these devices and arrangement are not cost effective.
Over decades, the main cleaning tool available was the toilet brush. The brush was used to scrub off the waste stuck to the inside of the bowl and then flushed to rinse away the waste. Various brush designs have been offered to the consumer without resolving possible contaminant problem. U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,215 B1 claims to reduce time of cleaning but does not deal with brush contamination.
Effort to resolve brush contamination problem resulted in disposable brush head design. Numerous types of disposable swabs or pads designs are known. Manufacture of Swabs or pads of the shape and size requires special equipment. Disposal of swab with every operation adds to the cost of the bowl cleaning. Also swabs, if not properly used, may clog the sewer drain on flushing. Needless to say, every swab design must develop its own disintegration curve for optimum performance. U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,201 discloses a disposable flat biodegradable pad and a specially designed wand an attach and release mechanism on the wand to dispose of the pad before it disintegrates. This has the potential of causing clogging problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,697 supports a disposable disintegrating cleaning device by being partially dissolved in water in the process of cleaning the toilet bowl. The boot shaped device has greater probability of causing blockage at the goose neck of the bowl drain. As stated earlier, such devices require special equipment to manufacture, package and store in use. U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,076 has tried to combine a brush and fluid cleaner in a rather complex piece of machinery on the premise that a toilet brush is highly unsanitary unless it is dropped back in the same vessel where cleaning fluid is kept. This danger is highly over-rated. Cost and operation of such a machine is inadmissible for residential and commercial use.
Automatic drop-in-tank and other one step cleaners without the use of a toilet brush may be easier to use but does not serve the purpose of sanitizing and cleaning. Effective cleaning needs manual effort with scrubbing pads or toilet brush. A root cause of stains is from mineral build-up seen at the waterline in the toilet bowl and hidden from sight under the rim. This is so because most raw water supply to the homes is high in mineral content. Overtime crusty matter builds up that shows up as stain around the water mark and rim. The crusty surface serves as habitat for microorganisms. Most in-tank cleaners have blue dye as ingredient. Blue water masks the dirt and grime accumulating in the bowl between manual cleaning by brush or effective scrubbers. Such in-tank cleaners may last long but do not claim to clean and sanitize a dirty toilet bowl. Some in-tank cleaners release chlorine bleach from hydrochlorides to disinfect the bowl and discolor the stain. The amount of bleach such cleaners release during flushes depends on the surface exposed to water and temperature of the water. If the bowl is not flushed regularly, chlorine concentration may increase and corrode parts inside the tank. Some plumber manufacturers advise against using such in-tank cleaners. Whatever the constituent of in-tank cleaners, blue color or hydrochloride based, scrubbing with a brush in-between periods to keep up with cleaning chores on the toilets must be done regularly.
Therefore, there is a need for simple yet effective and economical combined cleaning system that is easy to operate and store without the hazards of harsh so and harmful chemicals.